MAP kinase activation is believed to enhance cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. Increased MAP kinase activity has been observed in cancerous tissue vs. normal counterparts. There also is reported evidence that tumor MAP kinase activity level predicts survival time in breast cancer patients, specifically, lower MAPK activity in mammary tissue has been reported to correlate with longer survival time.
Reducing MAP kinase activation is believed to generally be beneficial for treating conditions that involve abnormalities of cell proliferation, cell growth, cell differentiation, cell migration, and cell invasion. Such conditions include, for example, cancer and tissue hyperplasias of the gastrointestinal tract, immune system, prostate, kidney, mammary glands, and heart. Numerous patent publications discuss modulation of MAP kinase. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,089. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,418. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,862. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,235,524. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,464. See also, Int'l Patent Appl. Publ. No. WO 01/58448. See also, Int'l Patent Appl. Publ. No. WO 00/26634. See also, Int'l Patent Appl. Publ. No. WO 99/53927.
An animal formulation that reportedly treats cachexia is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,798 (“the '798 patent”). See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,913. Both patents discuss a formulation shown in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1% by weight ona dry matterComponentbasisCarbohydrate15–27Protein35–48Fat27–35Omega-3 Fatty Acid2.5–7.5Omega-6 Fatty Acid2.0–6.0Arginine2.0–3.5Nutritional balancing agents such as0.4–1.0vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, E) andminerals (Ca, P, Na, K, Mg, Fe, Cl)
Despite the foregoing, there continues to be a need for compositions for animal consumption, particularly those that aid in reducing MAP kinase activity, and particularly those that aid in treating cancers and tissue hyperplasias.